Motorhome, 5th Wheel or Pull Trailer
Which RV handles best in windy weather and 18 wheelers passing you and then pulling over in front of you Motorhome, Pull Trailer or 5th Wheel???
Forum Discussion
The worse I experienced with windy weather was when we traveled with a Chevy Lumina Mini-Van towing a Starcraft Venture pop-up. That combination in wind and semi-trucks blew us all over the road.
The bigger we got, the less we were pushed around.
Next combination was an 24 foot travel trailer we pulled with a Chevy 1500 Suburban. Wind and semi's were not as problematic and the pop-up, but we still knew we were not the biggest rig on the road either.
Move forward to a 3500 dually (which we've had 3 now), towing that same 24 foot trailer and all of a sudden, wind and semi's were no longer such an issue.
Moved to a 31 foot, then a 35 foot TT, and now a 41.5 foot fifth wheel.
So, from my experiences, the bigger you get, the less you feel the wind.
However, I think the bigger factor is NOT how big or small the trailer is, the BIGGER factor is how sturdy is the tow vehicle. Dually's are very stable. It takes a lot to shake them around, even when pulling a large trailer.
Simple law of physics. It take more energy to move a 14,000 pound hunk of metal than it does a 4,000 pound chunk. The heavier the vehicle, the less the wind is felt. But there is also a point where too-much-is-still-too-much ... for even Semi-trucks can get flipped over in high wind.
Now, I have no experience with a Motor Home. But I would imagine, they handle pretty well against the opposing wind forces and semi-truck's suck and pull vacuum effects, simply because of their sheer weight.
The bigger we got, the less we were pushed around.
Next combination was an 24 foot travel trailer we pulled with a Chevy 1500 Suburban. Wind and semi's were not as problematic and the pop-up, but we still knew we were not the biggest rig on the road either.
Move forward to a 3500 dually (which we've had 3 now), towing that same 24 foot trailer and all of a sudden, wind and semi's were no longer such an issue.
Moved to a 31 foot, then a 35 foot TT, and now a 41.5 foot fifth wheel.
So, from my experiences, the bigger you get, the less you feel the wind.
However, I think the bigger factor is NOT how big or small the trailer is, the BIGGER factor is how sturdy is the tow vehicle. Dually's are very stable. It takes a lot to shake them around, even when pulling a large trailer.
Simple law of physics. It take more energy to move a 14,000 pound hunk of metal than it does a 4,000 pound chunk. The heavier the vehicle, the less the wind is felt. But there is also a point where too-much-is-still-too-much ... for even Semi-trucks can get flipped over in high wind.
Now, I have no experience with a Motor Home. But I would imagine, they handle pretty well against the opposing wind forces and semi-truck's suck and pull vacuum effects, simply because of their sheer weight.
